Roberts, Dodgers find a new way to observe Jackie Robinson Day
LOS ANGELES » During the long down period between fans at Dodger Stadium, a bronze sculpture depicting Jackie Robinson sliding into home plate migrated from a left-field side entrance to the newly expanded center field pavilion. Mostly, the relocation makes the sculpture more visible to fans. It served another purpose Thursday.
Prior to Thursday’s game, the Dodgers’ players gathered in full uniform around the sculpture, along with team staff and manager Dave Roberts. It was Jackie Robinson Day across Major League Baseball, a day to commemorate the anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Standing before a full pavilion, Roberts shared his thoughts about Robinson and his legacy.
“We all know Jackie Robinson: the name, the 42 in every ballpark,” the manager told reporters afterward. “But just trying to give people context on his life, his legacy, and what he meant to not only people in color in baseball, outside of baseball, being treated fairly, being respected, not always being liked, being determined and doing and saying and fighting for what’s right.”
Roberts said about 75 people were there for the speech, which he gave at the encouragement of CEO Stan Kasten and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen. He said he intends to turn the occasion into an annual tradition. Dodger Stadium is the only major league ballpark with a statue of Robinson on its grounds.
“Any time you can get players, staff, front office, ownership all together with a central thought, moment, recognition of Jackie on Jackie Robinson Day, I thought it was special,” Roberts said.
Continuing a tradition that began in 2004, every player in every game across Major League Baseball wore Robinson’s number 42 Thursday, and a commemorative 42 patch on the side of their hats.
Paying it forward
Betts, Price and Roberts pledged to donate their daily salary to The Players’ Alliance, a nonprofit organization founded by a group of active and former MLB players seeking to improve representation of Black Americans in the sport.
For Betts, that amounted to a donation of approximately $94,086; for Price, $172,043.
“The Players Alliance is doing a lot of good for young kids of color,” Roberts said. “It’s really good to see players have skin in the game, as far as sweat equity, trying to execute to give back. If me and my wife can do our part to help that, I think that’s a good thing.”
In a press release, The Players’ Alliance announced that funds raised Thursday will directly benefit its 2021 Gear For Good equipment distribution program; mentorship, scholarship and access programs; “and providing the tools needed to help make many Black kids’ baseball dreams a reality.”
More maintenance
Though healthy, Betts and Corey Seager were held out of the starting lineup for the series finale against the Colorado Rockies. Such “maintenance days” have become more frequent this season as baseball ramps up from a 60-game regular season to a full 162 in 2021.
The manager said players have been less resistant to the idea this year.
“It’s something we talked about this winter, we talked about in spring training,” Roberts said. “When you look at our roster, there’s a lot of talented players.”
Only one Dodger (Cody Bellinger in 2018) has played 162 games in a regular season under Roberts.
Maintenance days will get a maintenance day when the Dodgers visit the Padres for three games beginning today. Roberts said the series will be an “all hands on deck” affair.